BHUBANESWAR/KEONJHAR : Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 330 development projects worth over Rs 1,292 crore with a focus on education, health, technology and infrastructure. This includes launching of 198 projects of Rs 411 crore and foundation stone laying of 132 projects worth over Rs 880 crore.
In the third phase of the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalaya scheme, foundation stones were laid for 630 schools across the state, including 35 in Keonjhar district. All the schools will be built at a cost of about Rs 4,000 crore. The chief minister also inaugurated the South Campus of Dharanidhar University built at a cost of Rs 14 crore.
Among other projects, foundation stone was laid for the most modern techno-commercial institution in north Odisha. “The 15-storey tech-business park will be built on 5.51 acres at a cost of Rs 237 crore. It will create huge employment opportunities for youth in north Odisha districts. Through these projects, doors of employment and progress have opened for the the youth of Keonjhar in their own homeland and they will have to no longer go to Bengaluru or Hyderabad,” he said.
Majhi also inaugurated the state’s first fully indigenous technology-based ‘Preventive Cancer Screening Centre’ at the Dharanidhar Medical College campus with DMF support at a cost of around Rs 6 crore.
Besides, foundation stones for a seven-storey dental college at a cost of Rs 58.40 crore and a 10-storey nursing college at a cost of Rs 63 crore were also laid.
The CM announced that that a government pharmacy college will be set up in Keonjhar. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) or free bus service card was also launched for students. Work has also been taken up to make the roads connecting Keonjhar six-lane and construct a ring road in Barbil to strengthen road infrastructure, he said.
Addressing the function, School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond said education is the biggest weapon of social change, and the state government is committed to provide children with world-class teaching from the primary level. Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling and all MLAs of the district were present.
